Our Team

Or HaLev faculty and staff are dedicated to the mission of transforming Jews, Judaism and the world through contemplative Jewish practice.

"I felt so safe and held that words truly do not do the experience justice."

- Einat, 23

"I am truly grateful for all of the beautiful souls that accompanied me on this journey into our own unique expression of the divine. I am especially grateful to our incredible teachers who seem to have endless compassion and kindness for everyone."

"James is a wonderful, gifted teacher who embodies loving acceptance. He helped me get out of a stuck place and turn fear into love through loving the fear."

Hailing from around the world, Or HaLev faculty believe that Judaism is a source of deep wisdom, which, when applied, can be used to transform ourselves, our communities , our world and our Creator. Long-time students of the practice, our faculty are committed to sharing the fruits of this rich tradition with the world.

Rabbi Dr. James Jacobson Maisels, Founder and CEO

Rav James directs the vision of Or HaLev & is a devotee of mindfulness practice. Ordained by Rav Daniel Landes, with a doctorate in Jewish Studies from the University of Chicago, Rav James lectures internationally on Jewish Spiritual practices. He also teaches at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, Haifa University & Yeshivat Hadar. He strives to integrate his study with his practice, & to help teach & live Judaism as a spiritual discipline.

Email - james@orhalev.org

Dr. Aviva Berkovich-Ohana

Dr. Aviva Berkovich-Ohana is a neuroscientist and a senior lecturer at the University of Haifa. Her research interests focus on the effects of various forms of meditation on consciousness, cognition and self-reference, as well as the possible applications to the field of Education. This work bridges her interest in the natural sciences, with her deep personal exploration of consciousness, through diverse religious philosophies (mainly Judaism and Buddhism) and fervent practice of meditation since 1995. A TOVANA meditation instructor.

Email - avivabo@edu.haifa .ac.il

Daniel Yoel Cohen

Danny graduated from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania and pursued study of Torah and wisdom in a variety of yeshivot and institutions in Israel, the U.S., India, Nepal, and Mexico, as well as through the modern worlds of psychology/psychotherapy and transformative change work, and grounded in daily practice of meditation, prayer, and regular intensive retreat. His web site is http://www.thelivingheart.life

Email - livetheheart@gmail.com

Genevieve Greinetz, Rabbinic Intern

A student at Hebrew College Rabbinical School, Genevieve holds an M.A. from Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. She is a certified yoga teacher and worked as an organic farmer, studied Chinese tea, is a published poet and founding editor of an up-and-coming inter-cultural journal. Genevieve is intrigued by the whole gamut of human experience.

Danit Kaya

Danit Kaya is a California native, a Certified Mindfulness Facilitator through UCLA’s Semel Institute and regularly facilitates workshops and retreats for diverse ethnic, faith and professional backgrounds, including small businesses and large corporations such as Twentieth Century Fox Entertainment, MGM Hotels, and Mattel. She is also a private academic tutor and coach and works with clients on building positive learning experiences with a focus on math, writing, and school-based anxiety. She is currently passionate about creating Jewish mindfulness spaces and hosts Dharma Drash, a monthly melding of Jewish spirituality and mindfulness practices.

Rabbi Batsheva Meiri

The spiritual leader of Congregation Beth HaTephila in Asheville, North Carolina. Batsheva received her Bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin and was ordained at Hebrew Union College in New York in 1996. Her rabbinic focus both personally and professionally is Jewish spirituality and meditation and she is a third degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Dr. Mira Neshama Niculescu

Dr. Mira Neshama Niculescu is a Paris-born scholar and teacher of Jewish spirituality and Meditation. She earned a Ph.D. in Sociology of Religion at Ecole de Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris (EHESS). A certified Jewish Mindfulness Teacher with the Institute for Jewish Spirituality (IJS), Mira is an orthodox smicha Fellow at the Yeshiva Har’El in Jerusalem.

Web Form Contact - miraneshama.com/contact

Rabbi Dorothy Richman

Dorothy Richman serves as the rabbi of Makor Or: Jewish Meditation Center and is a founding faculty member of the new Romemu Yeshiva, a six-week immersive program of intensive spiritual study and practice in New York City. Dorothy's work centers on the spiritual practices of Torah study, prayer, and justice. She recently released an album of original songs, Something of Mine, largely based on texts from the Jewish tradition, available on BandCamp.

Rabbi Jeff Roth, Awakened Heart Project

Rabbi Jeff Roth, D. Div. is the founder & Director of the Awakened Heart Project for Contemplative Judaism. He has led countless meditation retreats over the last 17 years. He was the co-founder of Elat Chayyim where he served as Executive Director & Spiritual Director for 13 years. He is the author of Jewish Meditation Practices for Everyday Life. He lives with his family in the Hudson River Valley.

Email - info@awakenedheartproject.org

Daphna Rosenberg

Musical Director at Nava Tehilah, a innovative Jerusalem prayer community, Daphna has been practicing meditation for more than twenty years. Singer, songwriter and guitarist, Daphna travels internationally training and initiating others her unique approach to sacred music.

Rebecca Schisler

Rebecca Schisler is a meditation teacher, artist and ritualist. A devoted student of contemplative practice for a decade, Rebecca has sat numerous intensive Jewish and Buddhist retreats in the US, India and Israel, and has taught on retreat with Or Ha Lev and Awakened Heart Project. She taught mindfulness to children, teachers and parents in California schools with Mindful Life Project and has guided adolescents through Jewish nature-based rites of passage as a lead facilitator with Wilderness Torah. As a teaching artist, Rebecca creates large-scale community mural projects with youth internationally.